


Gimme Shelter

by AliciasClarke (fyeahgila)



Category: The Rolling Stones
Genre: 1970s, Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - 1970s, Awkward Flirting, Blizzards & Snowstorms, Christmas, Christmas Fluff, Crush at First Sight, Cute, Fluff, Keith is shy and awkward, M/M, Making Love, Mick is totally infatuated, Snowed In, They are so soft for each other
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-24
Updated: 2019-12-27
Packaged: 2021-02-25 22:02:32
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 8,383
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21942604
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fyeahgila/pseuds/AliciasClarke
Summary: It's the day before Christmas Eve and Mick's flight back to London gets cancelled. Stranded in New York City during a blizzard, at his hotel he makes the acquaintance of one of the hotel employees. He turns out to be a fellow Englishman, in some way also stuck overseas...
Relationships: Mick Jagger/Keith Richards
Comments: 4
Kudos: 32





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hey guys,  
> I wanted to write something for Christmas, so I started knocking this out last night and here it is. Happy holidays, I hope you enjoy!  
> The second chapter will follow within the next 2-3 days, hopefully :)
> 
> p.s. also what shall I say about the work title other than that I am really the most uncreative ever when it comes to titles, I'm sorry lol xD but I just don't give a crap about titles, all I'm there for is the plot...

New York City - 23rd December 1974

_Cancelled._  
_Cancelled._  
_Cancelled._

Bold white letters on the black destination board at JFK Airport were announcing that every single flight had been cancelled just now. Outside the departure lounge a winter storm had been raging for hours, weather forecast and authorities were warning of a blizzard approaching. During the past few days, Mick had been on a business trip for his company to negotiate a new deal with some other enterprise in New York. Actually, he was supposed to already be on his plane back to London. However, at first it was announced that his flight was delayed for about an hour. Now he'd been waiting for over two hours and instead of flying across the Atlantic directed towards home, he was stuck at JFK. According to the news being broadcast on the television in the business lounge, there was no betterment in sight anytime soon. On the contrary, on the weather report, they were talking about one of the worst blizzards that would be hitting the East Coast since over a decade. 

_"...we're expecting heavy snowfalls and severe winds with up to 55 miles per hour. Citizens are strongly advised to seek shelter and…"_

What was being reported on the news didn't sound great at all, so Mick decided to try leaving the airport to find a nearby hotel while there still might bel rooms available. Because his desire to be stranded at the airport and spend the night on a pallet in between hundreds of strangers tended towards zero. It was late afternoon already and if the forecast was accurate, the worst yet was still to come. Experts were discussing the impact of the storm that would obviously cause immense chaos and would probably prevent hundreds of thousands of people from getting home in time for the holidays. 

Icy wind was hitting his face as soon as he left the airport and he had to turn up the collar of his coat to protect his face from the piercing cold. With his hands stuffed deep inside his pockets, he trudged through the snow, shaking from the frostiness once he reached the nearby taxi stand. There weren't too many taxis still around and Mick was lucky to catch one, since apparently he wasn't the only one who wanted to get away from the airport as fast as possible. 

"Can you get me to the nearest hotel that isn't a complete dumpster?", he asked the cabby who had rolled down his window as Mick tapped against it. 

"Sure, get in", the man replied, getting out of his car to help Mick with his luggage. 

"You just arrived here?", the cab driver wanted to know once they were headed to some hotel. 

"I already wanted to be on my way back home, but…", Mick mentioned, making a gesture at the storm outside. 

"I'm sorry, pal, but it looks like you'll be spending Christmas here…", the other man returned and Mick simply sighed in reply. 

It took longer than anticipated reaching a hotel that was just about a mile away. But since the streets were snowy and one could barely see further than a few metres, the taxi ride was annoyingly slow. Once Mick had paid the cabby, who wished him happy holidays even despite the circumstances, he tried getting inside the hotel lobby as fast as he could while carrying his suitcase. Inside, it was warm and welcoming, everything was decorated and there was a large Christmas tree. Gladly, it didn't look like a dumpster at all, but rather the place turned out to be some four star hotel. Mick didn't care, it was a business trip after all, which meant his company was paying. Regarding the circumstances, probably some assurance would jump in anyway. Even if not, it wasn't like he was short on money either way. All that mattered was getting a room somewhere.

"You can consider yourself quite lucky, sir. This is the second to last single bed room we've got available", the woman at the reception told him as he signed some slip of paper and she handed him his room key. 

"Guess there needs to be some good news every now and again", Mick replied with a smirk, secretly glad that he had made the decision to look for a hotel right away. Being stuck at the airport with thousands of other people seemed like a nightmare. 

"I hope you'll enjoy your stay even despite this weather, sir. If you need anything, don't hesitate to call the reception. We've got a concierge and 24 hour room service", the woman informed him and Mick only nodded before grabbing his suitcase and crossing the lobby on his way to the elevator. 

The room was appointed in a very modern style and quite spacy, the bed seemed to be only slightly smaller than a double bed. There were some fancy paintings on the walls and a large TV. The bathroom was nice and clean and since Mick was still freezing, he decided to have a hot shower. 

While the pleasantly warm water was hitting his skin, Mick was musing about the fact that he wasn't even pissed about the cancelled flight. Of course he wasn't delighted that he'd have to spend some more time at a hotel in a foreign country, but it wasn't like he wasn't used to it. Travelling around a lot was part of his job description, some months he spent more time at hotels than in his own flat in London. 

There was nothing he'd be missing out on back home anyway. If he would have gotten the flight and could have made it over to England until the next day, then he probably might have spend Christmas Eve with his parents and his two older siblings. Surrounded by their families, his two nieces and his nephew. And bothered by his mum's and sister's constant nagging about when he'd finally settle down and find some girl to marry. 

What they didn't know, however, what nobody but some of his dearest friends knew, was that until very recently he had somebody who wanted to settle down with him. Who'd been bugged by Mick's frequent travels and who had eventually broke up with him, accusing him that all Mick loved was his bloody job. Only that this person had been a bloke named David. Mick had been with him for almost a year and he'd been looking forward to spending Christmas together. However, once he had mentioned that he needed to go to New York this shortly before the holidays, David had thrown a fit. He blamed Mick for always putting his job first, for constantly cancelling plans on him because something more important had come up, he even accused him of secretly cheating on him under the disguise of work. The worst thing about it was that Mick couldn't even deny that many of David's points were true and that he didn't have much to counter him. 

At the end of an exhausting discussion, throwing accusations back and forth, and also some insults, they both had to realise that it hadn't been all great between them for quite some time. And that neither of them was prepared to make any further concessions to each other. In retrospect, Mick had to agree that probably he'd been too stubborn, too harsh on David. That he would have had the chance for accomodations. But he simply wasn't willing to. Only on the flight over to the US, with no real distraction for almost eight hours, he'd understood that maybe breaking up was the only logical consequence for them. Because if he had cared more, if David would have been the right one for him, then meeting him halfway wouldn't even have been a question. He would have done everything to save their relationship and not have gladly jumped right onto the next plane across the Atlantic without even feeling remorse. All he felt was empty. 

But as it was, Mick now had no one to go home to and spend Christmas with other than his annoying family. Being grounded due to a blizzard actually seemed like the more pleasant alternative and he wasn't even sorry for thinking so. Breaking the news to his conservative father and overly concerned mother that he preferred dating men was something he'd been putting off for years. It felt almost relieving, knowing that this Christmas most likely also wouldn't be the time where he might end up being forced to proclaim to his whole family that there wouldn't be any grandkids from his part because he fancied shagging blokes. 

As he had changed into some jeans and a crimson shirt, he figured out that none of the TV channels was working anymore, apparently due to the storm outside getting more severe. Sighing, he pulled out a book from his suitcase, then let himself drop down onto the comfortable bed, reading as the world outside continued to be snowed in. 

Eventually, he started getting hungry, a look at his watch told him that it was almost 8pm and he remembered that he hadn't eaten anything in ages. Putting the book down, he sat up, looking around for the small booklet with hotel information he'd noticed earlier. He found it on his nightstand and thumbing through the leaflet, he decided to order some of the food listed there from room service. 

About half an hour after making the call, finally there was a knock on his door and a male voice announcing that it was room service. With a rumbling stomach, Mick went over to open up. 

"I'm sorry, sir, we're quite busy tonight. Usually it doesn't take us this long", the hotel employee let him know, spotting an apologetic smile. The accent in his voice gave away that he was a fellow Englishman and the silver name tag pinned to his navy blue suit jacket told him that his name was Keith. 

"As long as it's still warm", Mick joked, grinning a little as he stepped out of the way so that the guy from room service could take the tray with Mick's food from his push carriage and bring it inside the room. Even though he was pretty famished, he wasn't one to get mad at people just trying to do their job. Surely, on a day like this, the hotel must be booked out completely. 

"Don't worry. Where do you want me to put it?", he returned, looking at Mick in question. 

"Just here is fine, thanks", he meant, pointing at the writing table on the left side of the bed. 

"You're welcome", the other replied with a curtly nod as he put the tray down, ready to retreat from Mick's room. 

"Are you booked out due to the weather?", Mick asked out of curiosity and also because he was one to always welcome some chit-chatting. 

"It seems like it. It's crazy outside", the hotel employee nodded. 

"I'm glad I could still get this room", Mick commented with a smirk and the other chuckled in reply. 

"Aren't you pissed you won't be home in time for Christmas?", he wanted to know, observing Mick with curiousness. 

"There's not much waiting for me back home, honestly…it's a long story", Mick trailed off just shrugging because obviously he couldn't and didn't want to get into any details right then. 

"You're from London, too, aren't you?"

"Yeah, I was on a business trip...did you move here from England?", he inquired, looking at him more closely for the first time, noticing that the other man was quite handsome with his high cheekbones, dark eyes and somewhat messed up hair that appeared way too unruly for someone working at a hotel like that. For a moment, they held each other's gaze, blue meeting brown, until Mick averted his eyes, feeling slightly abashed for some reason. 

"It's a long story…I...I should be getting going", the room service guy all but stammered. "There are other guests waiting for their dinner." 

"Yeah, of course", Mick meant, nearly having forgotten why the other man was actually in his room. 

"Enjoy your meal", he wished him, turning around to leave. 

"Thanks...will you be collecting the empty dishes later?", Mick inquired before he could reach the door. 

"Sure, if you want me to. Have a nice evening!"

"Thanks, you too", he replied before he was left alone in his room again with only his dinner to keep him company. 

Once he had finished his food which was exactly well-tempered, Mick lay down on his bed again with his book. There wasn't really anything else to do since the satellite TV still didn't work. He mused that probably the satellite dish was totally snowed-in, at least that had been the cause for his own telly not working some winters back. Soon he grew tired of the story, though, and was just contemplating whether or not to simply go to sleep, hoping for better weather the next day, when there was another knock on his door. 

"Yeah?", he called through the door, getting up from the bed and crossing the room in just his socks. 

"It's room service again", the hotel employee named Keith announced just before Mick pulled the door open. 

"Hi", Mick greeted him with a little smile that the other returned. 

"Hey. I'm just making my final round for tonight. Do you want me to take along your empty plates?", he asked. 

"Sure, thanks", Mick meant, getting the tray from the desk, handing it to the other one. 

"Did you enjoy your meal?", he wanted to know, taking the tray from Mick, stashing it onto his carriage. 

"Yeah, it was fine, still warm", he grinned, making the other man laugh. It was a real laugh, not like his prior customer service faked smile, and it sounded quite infectious.

"Here, that's for you", Mick added then, pulling out some dollar notes from his wallet that was stashed in his coat pocket hanging to his right, tipping it to the other. 

"Thanks."

"Do you need to get home now in this weather?", Mick thought of asking, remembering that he had mentioned it was his final round for the night. 

"Luckily we've got some rooms for personnel downstairs. So I can stay here tonight", he explained. 

"That's good…", Mick nodded in agreement, not knowing what else he could say, so he simply kept looking at him, until the other averted his gaze. 

"Yeah, I'm glad…", he returned, almost sounding shy as he added: "Good night, then."

"Good night", Mick gave back and as he already had started pushing his carriage away, he called him back: "Keith?"

"Yes? Is there anything else you need?", he turned around, giving him an expectant look that made Mick get slightly unsettled. 

"I was wondering...uh...would you fancy having a drink down at the hotel bar?", he dared to ask because he felt incredibly bored and somewhat lonely. Maybe also because there was some strange solidarity between them, for both being from London and now being stuck in this hotel together. And as well because Mick couldn't deny that Keith was entirely bloody handsome. 

"Okay, why not. Just give me a little time to change out of these clothes. Meet you downstairs at 10:30pm?", he agreed to Mick's surprise, giving him an honest smile that made his heart beat faster against his ribs. 

"Sure, yeah", he meant, almost dumbfounded, since he had expected some excuse to come at him as for why Keith couldn't join him at the bar. "I'm Mick, by the way", he managed to add as Keith only gave him a tiny nod before disappearing down the aisle. 

Stepping into the bar room a while later, Mick spotted Keith right away. When not wearing his work uniform but only plain jeans and a t-shirt, his hair a tad more messed up than before, he looked even more handsome. Apparently their timing was impeccable, since it seemed that Keith had just taken a seat himself. There were some other hotel guests still around, also enjoying a drink. 

"Hi", Mick smiled, sliding onto the bar stool next to him. 

"Hi", Keith mirrored his smile, waving over the bartender. "What are you having?"

"Whiskey", Mick decided. 

"Two whiskey, please", Keith ordered and it didn't take the bartender long to pour out the drinks for them. 

"Cheers", they both said, clinking their glasses together before having a sip. 

"So...you always end up asking random hotel personnel to have a drink with you?", Keith asked, the tone of his voice sounding clearly amused. 

"Nah...I was...I was stuck in my room alone for hours without the telly or anything...I got a bit bored, I admit", Mick gave back, chuckling. 

"Understandably so...I heard the only TVs still working are the ones with cable", Keith informed him. 

"Have you been working around here for long?", Mick wanted to know, somewhat turning around on the bar stool to better be able to look at him. 

"That's just my second month", Keith admitted, taking another sip of his drink. 

"How come?", he inquired and Keith slightly sighed in return. 

"It's a long story, as I said", he repeated.

"Well...as I see it, we've got some time", Mick remembered him, pointing towards the darkness outside behind the windows, making Keith smirk. 

Then he started to tell him how he actually was a guitar player who had tried playing in various bands back in England, but hadn't managed to find any success. And how he'd met some girl who played the saxophone in some jazz outfit, who had convinced him to come to New York with her a bit over half a year ago. While she actually managed to find a band to play with, score regular gigs at some jazz bars, Keith was completely left out of it. Not only couldn't he find his own group to play with, but also did he lose the girl to another guy from that jazz band. He literally was stranded in a foreign country with nothing, no money to afford the trip back. The only thing left for him was getting a proper job that would earn him something so he could make it back home. 

After Keith had told him his story, they ended up talking for long after the bar closed, simply sitting down in the hotel lobby with their drinks. They kept chatting about everything and nothing, discovering some common interests, mainly in music, sharing stories from their life in London, places they'd been to and would or wouldn't recommend. While getting to know more about each other, making each other laugh, they both had gotten a little tipsy, but it wasn't too bad, probably because the bar had already closed. 

"I think we should call it a night", Keith accounced, after a look at his watch, when they realised that it was almost 2am already. "I gotta work tomorrow...just the last shift again, but still…"

"Okay, let's go", Mick agreed and they both got up, walking over to the elevators. 

"Oh, I...I need to go downstairs. The personnel rooms are there", Keith remembered, only as Mick had already pressed the button to the 8th floor and the elevator doors were closing behind them.

"I...was wondering whether you wanted to maybe come upstairs with me, have another drink from the mini bar?", Mick asked, almost casually, but actually he was way more antsy than he would ever admit.

"Mick…", Keith only sighed, leaning against the elevator wall. 

"Yeah?"

"What are you trying?", he wanted to know, a bit more straightforward than Mick had anticipated. 

"Nothing", he said, almost a tad too fast for it to sound credible and the heavy blush spreading across his cheeks gave him away. 

"You know I can't do that...I'm working here", Keith explained and Mick started grinning. 

"You can't do what?", he asked, almost innocently. 

"Come to your room...", Keith shrugged, as the elevator stopped on the 8th floor. 

"And have a drink?", Mick asked further, both of them knowing very well that he wasn't actually referring to just having some liquor. Or otherwise Keith would have told him that he couldn't come to the bar with him, either. 

"Yeah...I can't…", Keith meant, not looking at him as they just kept standing in the elevator although the doors had opened. 

"I'm sorry...I didn't mean to make you feel uncomfortable", Mick reassured him. 

"I'm not", Keith claimed, getting off the elevator even though he had to ride back downstairs, leaning against the wall next to it. 

"Hypothetically...if you weren't working here...would you come with me?", Mick inquired, stepping off the lift as well, standing in front of Keith, eyeing him curiously.

"To have a drink?"

"Yeah…", Mick said, giving him a meaningful look, both of them fully aware that they weren't talking about drinks any longer. "Would you?"

"Maybe", Keith winked at him, a playful grin on his face now that Mick could only mirror. Keith was so gorgeous and captivating and Mick was undoubtedly attracted to him, but he didn't quite know what else to do or say, considering the circumstances. 

"Thanks for keeping me some company", he eventually settled for.

"It was fun...I'll see you around tomorrow", Keith mentioned. 

"Yeah…Will you walk me to my room at least?", Mick tried then, just fooling around and also because he didn't want to say goodnight right then. 

"Because you can't find it on your own?", Keith gave back with a toothy grin and Mick nodded. 

"This hotel is too bloody huge."

"Fine", Keith sighed in faked annoyance, pushing himself off the wall and together they strolled down the aisles until they reached Mick's room. 

"Well...see you around, I guess", Keith said, as they came to a halt in front of it. 

"Since I'll be stuck here for another while, that's very likely…", Mick joked, opening the door. 

Keith laughed quietly and then let his gaze wander up and down the floor. Before Mick could say anything else, Keith leaned closer to him, so close he could smell his aftershave and the hint of alcohol in his breath. 

"Sleep well, Mick", Keith mumbled, smiling lightly, pressing a soft little kiss to his cheek. And for Mick there wasn't anything left to do but return: "Goodnight, Keith", as he was already walking down the aisle, while Mick was standing there, one hand on his door knob, his skin still tingling where Keith's lips had grazed it.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys, thanks a lot for reading, I hope you all had nice holidays :)  
> I could have posted this last night already but I wasn't quite sure where to end the chapter. So then I decided to write a sequel/epilogue which I will post as a oneshot soon. Anyway, I hope you enjoy this chapter!

The weather hadn't changed much the next morning, if so then the storm might have gotten even more severe. Trying to look out of his hotel room window, Mick couldn't recognise a single thing but heavily blowing snow. Once he was done in the bathroom and had changed his clothes, he switched on the telly once more, but to no avail. Sighing, he decided to go downstairs to the hotel restaurant to get some breakfast, since it was included anyway.

There was a lot of hustling and bustling around down in the lobby. Many people had gathered around a cable TV near the reception, following the latest news. Apparently the announcer had just mentioned that the blizzard wouldn't dissolve anytime soon because some of the bystanders started complaining, getting outright frustrated about being stuck in some hotel near JFK Airport during the holidays. When Mick finally managed to wriggle through all the other agitated hotel guests and could see the TV screen, they showed some stranded passengers at airports and train stations who couldn't make it to their destination and had to spend the night on makeshift beds. Glad to have forgone that fate, Mick kept listening for a moment, but apart from some interviews with some persons concerned, there was nothing new to catch up on. 

"There doesn't seem to be any betterment in sight, does it?", some elderly woman who was standing next to him asked rhetorically. 

"I guess not…", Mick shrugged. "Did they say anything when the worst might be over?"

"They don't expect things to clear up until after the holidays. So it seems like we'll all be spending Christmas here", she explained in frustration. 

"My husband and I wanted to visit our daughter and the grandkids over in California", she added then with an unhappy sigh. 

"I'm sorry your plans got thrown over", Mick mentioned, understanding that everyone around must be completely frustrated. Meanwhile, Mick himself was merely annoyed that he'd get to spend his days off stuck in some hotel instead of his own flat. 

"Don't you have to get back home for the holidays? You're from England, aren't you?", the elderly lady wanted to know then. 

"Yeah, I am...and it's okay. I don't really mind", he returned, not sure what else to tell her. 

"No wife and kids waiting for you?", she inquired and for a moment Mick wondered why elderly women always needed to come across as this nosy. But most likely she just wanted to be polite and make some small talk. 

"No, ma'am…", Mick meant, shifting around on his feet rather uncomfortably, wishing that he could just leave and finally get some coffee. He didn't need yet another random stranger giving him a lecture about what a blessing it was to spend Christmas with one's children when his own mother gave him the talk almost every single year. It wasn't that he didn't like or want kids, on the contrary. It just wasn't very likely he'd ever have them. 

"What about the rest of your family?", she asked, almost to his surprise and Mick had to restrain himself from sighing. 

"Well...I guess I might call my parents later. Let them know what's going on", he figured. "But first, I really need to get some coffee", he added, hoping she'd get his cue. 

Thankfully, she did and after wishing her a good day, Mick could finally find his way over to the breakfast room. There was another TV running and as well people had gathered in front of it, eager for any news, while sipping on their drinks. Mick went over to the buffet, helping himself to a cup of coffee, along with some slices of buttered toast, scrambled eggs and cheese. There also were various sausages, cake, fruit, and cereals, but he wasn't in the mood for any of it. 

Since most of the seats were already taken, Mick ended up sitting at a table with a young couple who seemed to be around his own age. They were from Florida and had been on a trip to New York for their two year wedding anniversary and now couldn't get back home to their families for Christmas. It seemed like everyone around him was either outraged or disappointed to be stuck there. Meanwhile, Mick almost started questioning what was going on with him that he only felt mildly inconvenienced by the whole matter. Whether he simply was glad to escape his nagging family, or was indifferent about it all. But as a small, annoying voice in his head informed him, that maybe David had been right, and all he cared about was his bloody job, Mick jugged down the rest of his coffee, excusing himself. Then he all but fled the hotel restaurant, deciding to take the stairs instead of the elevator in order to get some exercise. 

Once back in his room, he actually went through with it and called his parents in London. Keeping in mind the time difference, Mick figured that it was around tea time back home. This meant his siblings and their families probably all had arrived at their parents' home already, having some Christmas cookies his mum had baked before they'd get ready for church in the evening. After the third ring, his father picked up the phone.

"Hi pa, this is Mick", he said. 

"Where are you, son? Your mother has been worrying already", his father asked at the other end of the line. 

"I'm stuck in New York. There's a blizzard", Mick explained. 

"Yeah, we heard on the radio", his father informed him. 

"I won't be able to come home anytime soon, I'm sorry…" 

"Is this Mick?", he could hear his mother asking in the background and a moment later she had apparently fetched the phone from his father's hands.

"Are you okay, Mickey?", she wanted to know, sounding all exasperated. Being the youngest of her three children, obviously she always worried about Mick the most. To his annoyance, sometimes she seemed to forget that he wasn't nine years old anymore, but actually twenty-nine. 

"I'm fine, mum. I'm at a hotel, there's no need to worry", he assured her, hoping it would calm her down. 

"But you won't be here with us", she complained straight away. 

"I'm sorry...will you tell everyone Merry Christmas from me?"

"Of course. You need to call once you're back home", she stated. Obviously. 

"I will", he agreed. 

"Good. Stay safe", his mother meant. 

"I am, mum. Also I need to go...it's expensive calling long-distance", he reminded her. 

"Of course. Merry Christmas, Mickey!"

"Merry Christmas, mum", he returned before putting the phone back down. 

For the rest of the morning, he occupied himself by going down to the reception, asking for some paper to read. Obviously, they didn't have the latest one since apparently everything was standing still outside. Snow ploughs were the only vehicles still moving through the streets, trying to clear the way before they ultimately were blanketed under new snow again. Mick was glad about the prior day's paper, retreating to a nearby lounge room where there were some other guests sitting around, reading as well. 

When he was done reading and chit-chatting to some of the other people in the room about the weather, it was shortly after noon. So he decided to go over to the bar, remembering that apart from liquor they also sold some snacks. He didn't need a huge meal for lunch, a sandwich would easily do. On his way there, he passed the staircase and just at that moment a familiar figure, dressed in a navy blue suit, appeared from the ground floors. 

"Keith!", he called out, almost in surprise because he hadn't expected to see him right there. 

"Hey there", Keith returned, stopping in his tracks and giving him a lopsided smile. 

"How are you?", Mick inquired, smiling back at him. 

"Starting my shift now, how about you?", Keith wanted to know.

"I called my parents, letting them know I won't make it home for Christmas. The weather outside only got worse…", he mentioned, gesturing to the front entrance of the hotel.

"Yeah, I noticed…", Keith nodded in agreement. 

"This means you also won't be able to go home tonight?", Mick inquired, remembering that Keith had slept in one of the personnel rooms. 

"If it stays that way, then certainly not…", he sighed, running a hand through his hair in annoyance, only messing it up some more. 

"When does your shift end?"

"Around 9pm, why? You trying to ask me to have another drink with you?", Keith gave back, sounding amused which made Mick chuckle. 

"Actually...I wanted to ask you to have some dinner, maybe?", he proposed, trying to sound casual but failed as the twitch in his voice betrayed him, showing his nerviness.

"You know I can't come to one of the restaurants with you, right?", the other reminded him and Mick nodded. 

"I know...I meant...room service?", he said, but apparently Keith took it completely wrong. 

"So, you say I'll be bringing dinner then?", Keith replied, raising a brow in question. He didn't sound too amused anymore. 

"Keith, I didn't mean…", Mick tried to explain himself, but Keith cut him off. 

"Then what did you mean?"

"I'm sorry...I just thought...you know, it's Christmas Eve...I thought it would be nice…we could just make the best out of that bloody situation, you know", he stammered, trying to get a grip on himself again, feeling pretty silly and abashed. It was far from his intention to make Keith get uncomfortable or feel patronised in any way. 

Keith heavily sighed, shifting his gaze from his feet up to Mick's eyes and back again. "Okay, fine…", he eventually answered.. 

"What?", Mick asked, his eyes wide in astonishment.

"I'll have dinner with you", Keith declared.

"You will?"

"Only if you stop asking me now", he meant, the hint of a grin on his lips and a mischievous glint in his eyes. 

"Sure, okay", Mick agreed, not able to stop a delighted smile from spreading across his face. 

"Just order whatever...and I'll drop by then", Keith added in a quiet voice, giving him a sweet smile. 

"Okay, see you", Mick said for lack of anything better to return and Keith winked at him.

"Till later, Mick", he replied with a little wave before he went on his way directed to the kitchen. 

That evening, after he'd taken a shower and spent way too long wondering which shirt to wear, glad he always packed some more than he actually needed, Mick eventually ordered dinner a while before Keith's shift would end. A quarter after nine, neither Keith, nor dinner was there and Mick already started mentally resigning, thinking that if he was lucky, he might at least still get his food. But only a short while later, there was a knock on his door and he all but jumped off of his bed, strutting across the room to open up without even asking who was there. 

"You're here", is all he could manage to say as he took in the sight of Keith, in jeans and a black shirt, next to one of the food carriages which was holding only one tray and the drinks. 

"Well, you ordered some food", Keith replied with a whimsical grin, pushing the carriage into Mick's room as he stepped out of the way. 

"Is it okay that you're here?", Mick wanted to know as soon as he had closed the door. 

"It's my job", Keith gave back dryly, but he winked at him to let him know he was joking. 

"You know what I mean" Mick said nevertheless and Keith bit his bottom lip as if he had to rethink his answer. 

"Not really…you know that I need the job for the money…", he acknowledged, averting his gaze, somewhat ashamed. 

"Then why did you come here? Surely you could be hanging out with your colleagues instead?", Mick couldn't stop himself from daring him. 

"Because I was hungry", he deadpanned and the smile he gave him made Mick's heart skip a beat. Keith was utterly gorgeous and Mick couldn't pretend that he wasn't fancying him badly. 

"You're a tosser", he answered in mocked grumpiness, trying to hide his blush. 

"I really enjoyed last night...talking to you, getting to know you…", Keith then admitted, clearly getting flustered. 

"Yeah, me too...you are great company...I just...I thought if I had to be stuck here, at least I could...spend Christmas Eve with someone who makes it worthwhile", he confessed and as he met Keith's gaze almost hesitantly, there was nothing but fondness in his eyes. 

"Come on, let's check out the food before it gets cold", Mick could eventually say, saving himself from becoming too overwhelmed by lifting the cover off of the plates, revealing the meal he had picked out. Meanwhile, Keith had busied himself with retrieving the wine bottle from the bucket of ice, an astounded sound leaving his mouth as he noticed the label. 

"You ordered champagne?", he all but gaped at Mick, eyes wide, because obviously he was well aware of the prices on the hotel menu. 

"I...uh...it's Christmas", Mick mumbled sheepishly, realising how this might come across. While he surely had a quite nicely paying job and certainly wasn't short on money in any way, he didn't want to make the impression that he was mindlessly flinging it out of the window. It's not what he intended in the slightest, he simply had been looking for a treat, it was Christmas Eve, after all. 

"You're insane", Keith commented, inspecting the bottle as if he had never seen one before. 

"Don't you like it?", Mick inquired with a sinking feeling in his chest. Maybe it had been the entirely wrong choice after all and he was making a complete fool of himself. 

"Of course, I do...it's just…this is so fancy...the food, too", Keith gestured towards the ham and slices of turkey, mashed potatoes and other vegetables, the mixed salads with dressing and the chocolate pudding with fresh fruits that Mick had chosen for dessert. 

"I wanted us to have a nice meal…", he mumbled, still feeling abashed. 

"It must have cost a fortune", Keith mused, staring at the food as if it was the most outlandish he had ever encountered. 

"Don't worry about it, really. It's not that I'm insanely wealthy or anything...I just...I really just wanted to have something nice and yeah, fancy, I guess…", Mick stuttered, hoping Keith didn't perceive him as a total snob. 

"Thanks...I really appreciate it", he smiled, as they both finally sat down, Mick on the foot end of the bed, Keith on the desk chair, the carriage with food between them like a dinner table. 

"No problem...just enjoy", Mick meant and once he had managed to open the bottle of champagne without splattering it everywhere, he filled up both of their glasses. 

"Cheers...to a nice evening", Mick toasted, giving Keith a delighted smile as they clinked their wine glasses, keeping their eyes fixed on each other's. 

While enjoying the amazingly delicious food, sipping on the champagne, they continued their talks and banter from the previous night almost seamlessly. Keith was incredibly humourous and sophisticated in a way that had nothing to do with the world of Oxford and Princeton graduates that Mick was constantly finding himself in due to his job in an internationally operating bank. Keith might be very well politically interested, it seemed like he could philosophise about various matters, but Mick was especially taken with his knowledge of arts and music. And also with the fact that apparently he possessed some craftsmanship when it came to building new things out of different materials. But it was obvious that Keith's main focus, what truly moved him, was playing the guitar. 

"You know, you should play me something…", Mick suggested after they'd spent ages discussing their favourite records, once they were long finished with dinner. They both were sitting on the bed, leaning against the headboard, with only the standard lamp switched on, occasionally sipping on the champagne that each of them had some refill of. 

"I would...if only I had my guitar here…", Keith said almost apologetically. 

"Blame the weather…", Mick returned in a kidding tone. 

"There is a piano in the lobby…", Keith mused. 

"Do you play the piano?", Mick wanted to know. 

"Not really...do you?"

"Somewhat", he shrugged, thinking of how he hadn't played in ages because he simply couldn't find the time. 

"You should play me something, then", Keith suggested with a grin. 

"Tomorrow, maybe", Mick smiled, wondering whether he even could still remember something nice to play. 

"You think the storm will be gone by tomorrow?", Keith wanted to know next. 

"I don't think so…"

"I think it was a good idea having that dinner tonight", he mentioned then. 

"Hmm?", Mick prompted him to explain. 

"I heard down in the kitchen that if we won't be able to get new deliveries tomorrow, then some food won't be available...like fresh fruit…"

"But...there is still food?", he asked, sounding a bit alarmed. 

"Sure, there is...there's more than you can imagine. Canned foods anyway", Keith asserted him. 

"That's quite reassuring to know", Mick meant, gulping down the rest of his champagne before putting the glass onto the nightstand. He was starting to feel a little light-headed, but far from being drunk, not even remotely tipsy. 

"Nobody's gonna starve here", Keith chuckled. "Aren't you sad you won't be spending Christmas at home?", he added. 

"Not really...my family can get quite annoying, especially on the holidays", Mick offered in reply, leaving it at that for now. "Are you?"

"My dad's left...I called my mum and brother this morning…", Keith let him know and Mick nodded in understanding. 

"I'm glad about getting to spend Christmas Eve with you...of all the alternatives, this is by far the nicest", Mick admitted quietly, ducking his head as Keith turned to face him in question. 

"Looks like the storm was good for something after all", he gave back, this time he wasn't joking. 

"Keith?", Mick said after some silent moments where the other had finished his champagne as well and handed his glass to Mick for him to put it onto the bedside table. 

"Hmm?"

"Last night you said...you couldn't come to my room with me…", he mused, remembering their conversation on the lift. 

"You know I also shouldn't be here right now", Keith informed him, nestling around on the blanket. 

"Nobody knows", Mick countered, letting his gaze wander over Keith's face. The hint of some stubble he was spotting that day made him even more attractive. 

"Well, you do…", Keith retorted. 

"I wouldn't pull any shit on you, Keith", he assured him and Keith only hummed in reply.

"Why did you ask me to have dinner with you?", Keith wanted to know, turning further around to him, eyeing him curiously. 

"Because it's Christmas Eve...and I didn't want to be alone...and I really like you...a lot", Mick eventually answered, feeling his cheeks flush at the confession. 

"I really like you too", Keith returned so quietly that Mick wasn't sure whether he had just imagined. But the loving smile Keith gave him was enough to let him know. Finally, Mick reached out a hand, slowly trailing his fingers over Keith's cheek, his jawbone, the lobe of his ear. 

"You're so handsome, you know that?", he whispered in a soft voice, his eyes darting from Keith's down to his lips and then back again, his breath hitching as he almost lost himself in the warm brown. 

Keith blushed slightly at his words, shortly averting his gaze, clearly flattered. Instead of replying anything, Keith rested his own hand against Mick's cheek, the touch of his calloused fingers more tender than believed possible. For a while, they simply kept their eyes locked, holding each other's gaze as time almost felt like passing in slow-motion. All that Mick could feel was the warm touch of Keith's hand on his skin and he could swear that he heard his own blood rushing in his ears because his heart was thumping so hard. He swallowed heavily because his mouth had turned dry as dust, still just observing Keith who was eyeing him back. Eventually, Keith was the first one to blink and look away, disrupting the moment.

But only to lean over to Mick, closing the gap between them until their lips met in a gentle kiss. Feeling Keith's lips moving against his own made Mick's heart race even faster and he dug his fingers into the hair on the back of Keith's head, bringing him closer, wanting more. As Keith's tongue grazed his bottom lip, Mick gladly opened his mouth for Keith to deepen the kiss, while he wrapped his arms around Mick's back, holding him, their bodies pressed together tightly. He tasted like champagne mixed with the sweet chocolate pudding they had for dessert and also something else that was entirely Keith and was utterly intoxicating. Way too soon for Mick's likes they had to break apart, because they both were panting for air. But he still had one of his hands tangled in Keith's messed up hair, while Keith was grabbing onto the collar of Mick's shirt, their foreheads pressed together, noses nuzzling the other's as they were trying to catch a breath. Keith's cheeks were somewhat reddened, his lips slightly swollen and he looked oh so lovely and desirable. 

"I want you...so badly...", Mick whispered, his voice laced with longing, and his heart heavily beating in his chest as he started spreading little kisses across Keith's cheek down to his jaw and neck. 

"Mick…", Keith made him stop by taking Mick's face between his hands, making him look back up at him. 

"Hmm?", Mick mumbled, laying one of his hands over Keith's, pressing it lightly. 

"I've never...", Keith started, his voice breaking and his eyes were not meeting Mick's. 

"What? Had dinner with a hotel guest?", Mick joked, trying to lighten the mood because Keith was obviously nervous. 

"No...I mean, no, I didn't. But…", he stammered and Mick decided to take pity on him. 

"You haven't had a thing with a bloke?", he mused, looking at him in question. 

"I did…"

"You did?", Mick was almost astonished although he probably shouldn't be since Keith hadn't made a single attempt to deflect his advances and had been the one who started kissing him. 

"I've fooled around with some blokes…", Keith admitted, ducking his face as he blushed. 

"But?", Mick chuckled, not able to restrain himself from adding: "You're so endearing when you're abashed", which obviously made Keith's cheeks flush even harder. 

"It was just some snogging and...and getting each other off...and stuff…", he stuttered, it was almost cute how sheepish he sounded about this. But Mick did understand. And while he might have cheekily asked any other guy to elaborate on the other stuff or what exactly it was that he had never done, just to be a bit daring, he knew that he'd only make Keith feel more uncomfortable, which wasn't his intention at all. Keith was such a sweet guy and Mick actually loved how shy and bashful he could get, it was incredibly adorable. 

"Don't worry. It's fine", Mick assured him instead, pressing a soft kiss to his lips before leaning back to look at him carefully. "Do you want this?", he asked him then, running his thumb over the back of Keith's hand in a calming manner. 

Keith nodded in reply, meeting his eyes as if to search for some more confirmation. "I really want you", he got out, all misty-eyed and Mick smiled in excitement as he engaged Keith in a longing kiss. 

Keith wasn't only entirely gorgeous and fascinatingly entertaining, but he turned out to be a bloody great lover too. They'd made each other squirm by taking their time, undressing each other slowly, curiously exploring the other's body, hands roaming and lips wandering across heated skin. Then they ended up teasing and caressing each other until they both were yearning for more and Mick almost pleaded for Keith to finally take him. Keith was gentle, careful, they kept sharing kisses the whole time and Mick wrapped his arms around his back to hold Keith closer while he was striking him with long and deep thrusts. Mick shuddered, craning his neck back when Keith started hitting him just the right way, light moans escaping his mouth in delight. 

"Look at me, darling", Keith breathed against his lips softly as he'd broken another one of their kisses, slightly shifting his position to meet Mick's eyes. Mick gently smiled up at him as Keith took one of his hands, first pressing a little kiss to its back, then interlacing their fingers while he kept up his steady rhythm. Mick was overwhelmed by how considerate Keith's gestures were, how loving his touch, how tender the look in his eyes. The way they were melting together, skin against skin, becoming one, was amazingly wonderful and Mick hoped to be able to draw it out for as long as possible. Because seeing this sweet smile, Keith's warm body so closely pressed against his own, feeling him moving inside of him, his hand gently gripping on to Mick's, was a sensation that he wished he could savour and relish in forever. 

"Baby, please…", he quietly whimpered as he eventually felt himself drawing closer, knowing he wouldn't be able to hold back for much longer. And even without uttering further words, Keith seemed to understand him. His lips found Mick's in a passionate kiss as he fastened his pace, sliding a hand between their bodies sliding it around Mick, carefully teasing his most sensitive skin.

Mick finished off first, crying out in pleasure, grabbing onto Keith as if for dear life, and burying his face against the crook of his neck as he came shuddering and clenching. Only a moment later, Keith followed, coming inside of him, then resting down on top of him, breathless and shaking as he nuzzled his face against Mick's neck. Hearts hammering wildly, hair all messed up and damp, with their skin heated and sticky, they lay entangled in a close embrace, trying to catch a breath. 

"I loved this...so much", Mick quietly mumbled after a while, burying his hand in Keith's messy hair as he turned his head to press a trail of soft kisses on his cheek and neck. Keith hummed contently, shifting to be able to look at him as he pulled the blanket higher up to cover them both underneath. 

"So did I...this was beautiful...you're so beautiful", he said, his voice as soft as the look in his eyes as he leaned closer to kiss him gently. 

"And you", Mick could only reply, feeling a giddy little smile creep onto his lips as he lost himself in the fondness of Keith's eyes. He knew that if he wasn't careful he might be falling for this, falling for Keith, faster than he would be able to handle. 

"Will you stay with me tonight?", he asked anyway, because he was too affectionate and sappy to be able to let go of him already. He rather wanted to lay with him, limbs entangled, holding each other tightly, sharing some more sweet kisses and caresses before drifting off to sleep. Keith simply hummed in agreement, resting his head back against Mick's chest, hugging him closer.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I just had to write Keith as a shy cutie after watching actual Keef's Christmas greetings video, he was sooo shy, god I love how humble he is, even after decades of doing this...he also was like that when I saw them live last year, before he started singing You Got the Silver, it was so adorable.


End file.
